An acoustic array is a sensor for measuring sound pressure levels simultaneously from a set of points in space. An acoustic array typically includes a set of microphones arranged on a rigid structure such as a frame or a flat plate, along with electronic circuits for converting the sound pressure level measurements to digital form, and then transferring the digitized signals to a computer. Signals from an acoustic array can be processed with various digital signal processing algorithms. Acoustic arrays sometimes are used for locating sounds from machines, for example from automobiles or from turbines for power generation.
One problem with current acoustic arrays is that they are too expensive and too complex for many applications, either because they use expensive components such as analog microphones that require amplifiers and filters or because they use digital microphones that require complex decoder circuits or logic for every microphone. Another problem with current acoustic arrays is that they consume too much power not lending themselves to all applications.